Sec. 6. Report on certain training programs
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It is the sense of Congress that— youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (referred to in this section as LGBTQ ) are more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers, with 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and more than 1 in 3 transgender youth reporting attempting suicide; American Indian and Alaska Natives have the highest rate of suicide of any racial or ethnic group in the United States with a suicide rate over 3.5 times higher than the racial or ethnic group with the lowest rate, with the suicide rate increasing, since 1999, by 139 percent for American Indian women and 71 percent for men; between 2001 and 2015, the suicide death rate in rural counties in the United States was 17.32 per 100,000 individuals, which is significantly greater than the national average, and the data shows that between that same time period, suicide rates increased for all age groups across all counties in the United States, with the highest rates and the greatest increases being in more rural counties; and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must be equipped to provide specialized resources to these and other high-risk populations.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that— details a strategy, to be developed in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Mental Health, and organizations capable of providing nationwide suicide prevention and crisis services for LGBTQ youth, minorities, rural individuals, or other high-risk populations, for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to offer, support, or provide technical assistance to training programs for National Suicide Prevention Lifeline counselors to increase competency in serving high-risk populations; and includes recommendations regarding— the facilitation of access to services that are provided to specially trained staff and partner organizations for LGBTQ youth, minorities, rural individuals, and other high-risk populations; and a strategy for optimally implementing an Integrated Voice Response, or other equally effective mechanism, to allow National Suicide Prevention Lifeline callers who are LGBTQ youth, minorities, rural individuals, or members of other high-risk populations to access specialized services.